YouTube mom Ruby Franke recently made a tearful appearance in court during a shelter hearing concerning the custody of her four minor children, turning the allegations of abuse levied against her back on one of her children.
The Mormon mother of six claimed that one of her children sexually abused their siblings and molested other family members during her testimony on Thursday, according to reports by The Daily Mail.
The YouTuber’s arrest last month, alongside her business associate Jodi Hildebrandt, followed the discovery of one of her sons with open wounds and duct tape on their limbs. Franke, now 41, participated in the hearing via video link from a Utah jail, where she awaits her next court appearance.
During the hearing, Franke also claimed that the same child began viewing pornography at the age of three. She detailed how this child had allegedly been sexually abusing a younger sibling for years, which later escalated to abusing other children. Franke mentioned a “patting” game between her two children but refrained from elaborating. She claimed that this child privately confessed to abusing sexually 20 people, among them cousins and neighbors.
However, she failed to provide any evidence to support these grave allegations. Following her statements, the courtroom fell into a stunned silence. The presiding judge then declared that the child in question would need to be placed in a home without other children.
Kevin Franke, Ruby’s husband, attended the hearing, accompanied by his attorney Randy Kester. Throughout the proceedings, he maintained a stoic demeanor, even as his wife leveled the disturbing accusations.
A surprising turn of events occurred when an attorney from the public viewing area requested the judge to hear details about another child’s molestation, as the mother of one of the alleged victims was present. The judge, however, declined this request, stating that the details could be discussed at a later date.
The next hearings have been scheduled for September 15 and September 18. The judge informed Ruby Franke that she would need to attend these hearings in person if released from jail.
Ruby Franke’s rise to fame began in 2015 when she started sharing videos that offered insights into her life as a Mormon mother of six on YouTube. Her strict parenting style garnered attention, and she claimed to have made “millions” from her YouTube channel, which boasted over 2.2 million subscribers. However, the channel ceased uploads in January 2022 and was subsequently removed from the platform.
Franke’s parenting methods have been controversial. She once admitted to letting her daughter go hungry as a lesson after the child forgot to prepare her lunch for school.
“My hope [is that] she will be hungry and come home and be like ‘that was really painful being hungry all day. I’ll make sure to always have a lunch with me,'” Franke said.
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